First Weber Realtors Blog

 First impressions count! Help your home sell with a little effort and just a little money.

Click through the slide show  by using the small white arrows.

1. Check the exterior
Clean the gutters, power wash the siding, trim the bushes, make sure the garage door opener works, put  a seasonal decoration by the front door

 2. Pay attention to your front door

You may never come into your house this way! But the buyers will. See your front door and entry with a buyer’s eye. Make sure the door is clean and fresh, place a nice rug in the foyer. Make sure the doorbell works and your entryway closet is not stuffed to the gills. That may be the first thing they check out.

Are they clean or all banged up? What about the door handles? Wipe them down so they are clean and fresh. Do your doors stick or squeak? Fix that. If you have extra money to spend, consider replacing hollow interior doors with something more substantial for an instant upgrade.

Are the carpets stained or wood floors scratched? You can spruce them up with in-home or professional steaming and consider refinishing hardwood floors.

This one can be tough because we are used to the way our houses smell. Maybe ask a friend for their opinion or ask your real estate agent. At a minimum, keep things clean and uncluttered, keep litter boxes clean and dog beds laundered.  Pick a favorite scent to use throughout the

house rather than several, and use sparingly.

If you don’t have time to paint, at least wash and touch up wall paint to hide dings and scratches. Fill nail holes.   Remove wallpaper if you can and then wash and paint those walls.

Closets cleaned, organized and decluttered… having some empty space in closets and cabinets is a good idea. That usually means you will have to store some of your items away.  Buyers will open closets and cabinets. Make sure they are neat.  “Stuff” can’t come falling out when they are opened.  Add bins and organizers to keep things neat.

Do kitchen drawers slide open easily or do they get stuck or pull poorly? Get some drawer slider kits to make them slide smooth again. While you are at it, organize the drawers and take out anything that doesn’t have a place.

Your kitchen gets used every day and messes happen.  But a sticky refrigerator, a dirty oven and a sloppy stove stop are just turn offs that scream “dirty”. Take the time to make them shine.

Maybe some new kitchen cabinet handles to freshen up an older cabinet design. Maybe a new light fixture over the dining table, new towels, rug and shower curtain for the bathroom.  These little upgrades can make a big impact with a low dollar investment.

For additional seller tips see our home seller category on this blog. Or, contact your First Weber real estate agent here.

 

First Weber sells real estate throughout Wisconsin: Metro Milwaukee and Southeastern WI, South Central Wisconsin/Greater Madison, Southwestern WI, Central Wisconsin, Western Wisconsin, Northeast Wisconsin and Wisconsin’s great Northwoods. You can start searching for Wisconsin real estate and Wisconsin real estate agents at firstweber.com